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GOT YOUR MOOSE PERMIT!!! — NOW WHAT?

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You waited for years, maybe decades, to have your name drawn in Maine’s annual moose permit lottery. Long ago, the application became an almost-empty ritual of early spring.

After ten years or fifteen years of fruitless attempts — the annual filing fee felt like a sacrificial offering to the capricious hunting gods. One without any real expectation of reward. You considered it almost a donation to the coffers of the perpetually underfunded DIF&W.

But then in June of 2014 the hunting gods smiled. Bonus points, awarded for your persistence and longevity, finally made the difference. Congratulations, you will join 3000 lucky hunters this fall who can legally pursue Maine’s biggest mammal.

So now it’s almost thirty years since you first thought that moose hunting would be a great idea. You are a different hunter than you were then. The appeal of driving over logging roads for six days in search of a moose within shooting (and dragging) distance of the truck has waned over the years. The old crew that once shared a deer camp with you each fall have dropped by the wayside one by one. Nowadays you go to the woods for solitude, not companionship.

Hell, you don’t even eat much red meat at this stage in your life. What are you going to do with 400 pounds of steak and burger meat?

The moose hunt has changed too. The odds are 30% that your permit (in the northern zones) is for a cow moose — not the majestic bull that you once dreamed of. Or maybe the permit is for a hunting area that includes your own backyard in southern Maine — not exactly the deep dark north woods. Either way, the moose rarely pose in roadside clearcuts like they did in 1980.

How do you make this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity a real hunt instead of a week of quality time with your pickup truck?

Don’t worry. We’re here to help. Look for upcoming posts that cover the following topics:

HOW MAINE’S MOOSE HUNT BECAME A GAS AND BLAST AFFAIR

AVOIDING THE CROWDED ROADS — MUD, BLOOD, DUST AND BEER

MOOSE DOWN A MILE FROM THE ROAD — NOW WHAT?

RESTORING THE “HUNT” TO MOOSE HUNTING IN MAINE

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About jimandrews

Jim Andrews is an attorney, Registered Maine Guide, writer, husband, dad and sixth-generation Mainer who grew up in the hills of Oxford County and now lives in Farmington. He is a monthly columnist for the The Maine Sportsman magazine where he focuses on muscle-powered travel in the outdoors and specific applications to fishing and hunting in Maine.
Late in the fall of 2010 Jim suffered a mid-life crisis and decided that the cure would be a self-propelled trip from Kittery to Fort Kent in the summer of 2012. The preparation, planning and execution of that trip will be covered here -- as well as his own ongoing attempts to reintroduce physical effort back into the increasingly-motorized world of fishing and hunting in Maine.

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About the Author

Jim Andrews is an attorney, Registered Maine Guide, writer, husband, dad and sixth-generation Mainer who grew up in the hills of Oxford County and now lives in Farmington. He is a monthly columnist for the The Maine Sportsman magazine where he focuses on muscle-powered travel in the outdoors and specific applications to fishing and hunting in Maine.
Late in the fall of 2010 Jim suffered a mid-life crisis and decided that the cure would be a self-propelled trip from Kittery to Fort Kent in the summer of 2012. The preparation, planning and execution of that trip will be covered here -- as well as his own ongoing attempts to reintroduce physical effort back into the increasingly-motorized world of fishing and hunting in Maine.